Communion of Saints, Body of Christ, Prayers, Church triumphant, purgatory, Church Militant

2. Communion of Saints
 Our Catholic Faith is a beautiful gift from
God, and there is always so much to learn.
 In the last episode we have learned about
God’s family:The Catholic Church:
◦ We know that all who follow Jesus are
members of His family
◦ Last time we also learned that God’s family is
also called:THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS
◦ All the members of God’s family are united
together, we say that we are in communion

3. Be Holy as Our Heavenly Father
 A saint is someone
◦ who is united to God,
◦ who have God’s life (GRACE) in them.
 All of us is called to Holiness, to be saints,
like our Father in Heave is Saint.
 Let’s see the Scriptures:
 Leviticus 19:2
"Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to
them: 'Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.”
 Matthew 5:48
“Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly
Father is perfect.”

4. Members of God’s family
 Lots of times, when we talk about Saints, we mean souls
in heaven
◦ Like St. Joseph, St Maria Goretti, etc.
 But Saints can also mean anyone who is united to God.
◦ That means that if we are living in God’s Life (Sanctifying Grace), we are in a
sense Saints
 Those of us, who are not yet with God in Heaven, are not
quiet the Saints.
◦ We still look forward to be in totally, united with God forever
in Heaven.
◦ We are not yet perfect Holy,
 The Communion of Saints includes all those who are
member of God’s family
◦ Whether we are living here on earth
◦ or whether they had died

5. All members Share Everything
 In God’s family, all members living and
death, in certain way share everything.
 St. Paul try to help us to understand this in
the letter, he wrote to the Corinthians.
 He helps us to see
◦ how we come together to make the ONE
MYSTICAL BODY CHRIST.
◦ We learned this in another episode that we
talked about,
◦ the fact that the body is made of Different
parts.

6. Parts of the Body
 For example: the ear is part of the body and so is the
foot
◦ The whole reason why you & I have feet is, so we can
walk from place to place
◦ They help you in a special way
◦ If the feet were not attach to my body, they wouldn’t be
able to help you go around.
◦ The feet is something good for your whole body
 If the body only have ears, how do will be able to
walk anywhere
 Each part of the body is important

7. Whatever happen to a member affects
the Whole Body
 Have you ever step your foot in a piece of Glass or push
pins?
◦ It hurt you, but more than just you foot hurt,
◦ If you foot doesn’t feel well, you don’t feel well
◦ Whatever happen to you foot, affects your whole body
◦ Whatever happen to your foot, happens to you.
 St. Paul knew all about this

8. Each Member Suffers
 Each part of the body is called the member
 Saint Paul wrote:
◦ if one member suffers, all suffer together,
◦ If one member is honor, all rejoice together
 But St. Paul was really talking about is the
Mystical Body of Christ: the Communion of
Saints.
 What he is trying to say is that
◦ when one person is the Communion of Saints is
suffering, everyone shares the suffering.

9. We All share the Suffering
 For example
◦ What about if your Dad lost his job
◦ That will be a hard suffering for your dad, and for your
whole family
◦ But not only for you, the communion of Saints some
how share in your suffering.
 But you are not alone.
◦ Some where, someone is praying for you
◦ Jesus and Mary are specially watching over you
 On the other hand, something good happen to you,
for example:
◦ You receive Jesus in the Holy Communion this is a
wonderful blessing for you, and also for the whole
Communion of Saints

10. Sharing Everything
 This sharing everything, in the Communion of
Saints, happens because
◦ The Holy Spirit makes it happen,
◦ by drawing us all, to Jesus.
 This also means that whatever we do:
a) either helps or hurts the whole communion
of Saints
b) because we are one body of Christ;
c) we in some way share everything

11. Meet St. Dominic Savio
 Just about 100’s year ago there lived a holy
priest named John Bosco.
◦ He loved Children and young people
◦ John Bosco wanted to help them to love Jesus.
 One little boy Dominic, listen to Don Bosco
more than anything.
◦ Dominic wanted to be a saint
◦ Since all the member of the Communion of Saints
knew are important,
◦ Dominic knew, he have to try bring others to Jesus

12. Saint Dominic

13. Saint Dominic Savio
 When a priest told him that if he wanted to
be a saint he should help save souls
a) Dominic was in the look out for anything he
can do to bring others to Jesus.
b) Dominic and His group of friends pray
cheerfully on Don Bosco school,
c) And also he make sure to be kind to the
boys none notice
 Whatever good, Dominic did helps the whole
Communion of Saints
◦ He helps bring others to Christ
◦ and continues to pray for us in Heaven.
 He was only 15 years old when he died, and
today we called him, Saint Dominic Savio.

14. GOD’S FAMILY: COMMUNION OF SAINTS

15. Communion of Saints
 We know, that everyone in God’s
family,
◦ whether they are alive or death, is part of
the Communion of Saints
 Everyone in the Communion of
Saints is at different stage of Holiness
◦ Here on earth we are not yet perfectly holy
(but we are trying our best)
◦ We can never rest, and try to become holy
until we are with God in Heaven

16. THE CHURCH MILITANT
 Here on earth the member of God’s family are called:
THE CHURCH MILITANT
a) It means we have to fight and be like soldiers
b) But Not soldiers with guns & violence.
 Soldiers have a reason for fighting
◦ and one of the reasons,We have for fighting
in the Church Militant,
◦ is so “to help others”

17. Communion of Saints
 We know, that everyone in God’s family,
◦ whether they are alive or death, is part of the
Communion of Saints
 Everyone in the Communion of Saints is at
different stage of Holiness
◦ Here on earth we are not yet perfectly holy (but we
are trying our best)
◦ We can never rest, and try to become holy until we
are with God in Heaven
 Here on earth the member of God’s family are
called:The CHURCH MILITANT
◦ It means we have to fight and be like soldiers
◦ But not soldiers with guns & violence.

18. Church Militant
 Here on earth we have to work hard to stay closer
to Jesus
a) We must ask Him for strength for fight the devil
b) Sometimes we feel like doing something bad,
that is when we have to fight like soldiers.
 We must fight against temptations, so we can
stay closer to Jesus
◦ It takes hard work,
◦ but God have us all the Grace we need
(by the Power of the Holy Spirit)

19. PURGATORY
 Do you remember that everything we do, helps or
hurts the Communion of Saints?That’s right!
◦ Our prayers or good works, can help other people here on
earth
 Prayers can strengthen others, so they can stay
close to Jesus
a) But we can not only help others for down here on earth
b) We can also help those who had died
c) After we died, if we are not perfectly holy and ready to
be with God,
d) we would need to be purify and become perfect, before
we enter life with God in heaven
 This happen in the stage called:PURGATORY

20. We Pray for People Who Have Died
 The souls in Purgatory, know that they will see God
and be with Him forever in Heaven
◦ But they are not with Him yet, and we are very sorry for their sins
 We call the souls in PURGATORY: the CHURCH
SUFFERING
◦ it could be that someone you love who died is in Heaven
◦ It could be that that person is in purgatory
 On less the Church says that someone is a saint,
we don’t know for sure if someone is with God yet or not
◦ But we want everyone be with God, and enjoy with Him for
ever in Heaven
◦ And God wants them to be with them, too.
 What can we do about it? We can pray for the people
who have died.

21. Pray for those Who have Died
 Every year at November 2nd, we celebrate the memorial
ofWhole souls
 In this day we pray for the death, that they may be with
God
◦ And also it is a good practice to visit the commentary
◦ and pray for all those who had died.
◦ In fact, it will be a good idea to pray for someone right now
 Can you remember someone who had died?
◦ In our prayer we can ever help people we don’t know,
 So let’s offer a prayer for the souls in Purgatory;
◦ it is a short prayer but a good on to say often:
“May the souls of the faithful departed, through the Mercy of
God rest in peace,Amen.

22. Meet Saint Gertrude
 Many years ago, there was a girl that wanted to
live entirely for Jesus
◦ She became a nun and lived her life very closer to
Jesus
 Our Lord Jesus gave to St. Gertrude many
special gifts and Graces
◦ And even appeared to her, and share with her many
things
 On thing Saint Gertrude learned form Jesus is
that
◦ He loves the souls in the Purgatory
◦ He wants them to bring them to Heaven, if we only
was ask Him

23. God loves all the souls,
 The souls in Purgatory are very thankful for
our prayers
 God loves all the souls,
◦ And when we pray for them,
◦ we are caring and loving these souls, too.
 We are showing God that we love His children
a) Not only that, but the souls in purgatory don’t
forget about those of us, still on earth.
b) They can offer their suffering as a prayer for us.
c) And they can pray for us in a very powerful way,
d) so we finally could see God face to face,

24. THE CHURCH TRIUMPHANT
 The saints who live with God in heaven are called THE
CHURCHTRIUMPHANT
◦ Someone who is triumphant is joyful and celebrating
◦ because he had wan a victory
 God has given them great victory over
◦ the dangers, temptations, and sins on life here on earth,
 Now, they are with God forever in Heaven.
◦ They love Him
◦ and they will never be separated from Him ever

25. Some lived Such Obvious Life
 We probably don’t know how much of these souls are:
 But some time, someone have lived such of obvious holy life,
◦ that the Church has able to say for sure,
◦ that this person is in Heaven
 This is the people who we usually called the SAINTS in Heaven.
a) They also pray for us,
b) and their prayers for us are very powerful

26. Meet Saint Therese
 In a convent in France, there was a young nun
called Therese,
◦ Today many people called her “the little flower”.
 One day she had a incredible dream, where
she saw many Carmelites nuns from heaven
◦ One of them, venerable St. Ann of Jesus, {also known
as Ann Lobera}
◦ came very close to her and smiled
 AndTherese saw how much, this holy soul in
heaven, loves her that she wrote:
◦ “I believe I felt it was in Heaven and in this Heaven there
is people with souls, who actually love me, and who
considerate me their child.

27. COMMUNION AMONG HOLY PEOPLE
 That’s right!
 Even though we may not think about the Saints in Heaven,
 they love us and they want to help us
 It is good to ask for their prayers
 Whatever good they do, help the whole Communion of Saints,
including us.

28. Review: 3 Different Stages
Let’s review the 3 different sages of
Holiness in the Communion of Saints
1. What are the souls on earth called?
◦ They are called the Church Militant
2. What do we called the souls on Purgatory?
◦ We called them the Church Suffering
3. What do we called the souls with God in
Heaven?
◦ The souls in Heaven are called the Church
Triumphant

29. Jesus:
Most Important inThe
Communion of Saints

30. The most important is Jesus
 The souls in Heaven, and in the Purgatory, and down
here on earth,
◦ are united together in the Communion of Saints.
1) Who do think is the most important member
in the Communion of Saints?
a) Jesus is the most important member of the
Communion of Saints
b) The communion of Saints make the Mystical Body of
Christ
c) Jesus is the head of the Mystical Body, and He is the
most important member of the Mystical Body
 Jesus has many good things and spiritual riches
◦ to give us in the Sacraments (through the Power of the
Holy Spirit)

31. Queen of angels & Queen of Saints
 We call the souls in Heaven triumphant,
1) After Jesus, who do you think is the most important soul in
Heaven?
2) Who do you think is the highest and most holy saint (fill with
most Grace)?
 Mary mother of Jesus, the Blessed Mother is the Queen
of angels, and Queen of Saints.
◦ Her love for you and me is very strong,
◦ And her intersection and prayers for us are very powerful.
 We should often ask our Heavenly Mother Mary to pray for
us;
◦ She is not only Jesus Mother, but our Mother, too.
◦ (The New Eve, who sayYes to God’s plan of Salvation)

32. More Questions to Review
1) What do all the member of God’s
Family share?
a) In some way members of God’s family share
everything
b) Whatever good one member does,
 helps the whole Family, or the whole Communion
of Saints
c) Whatever bad one member does,
 hurts whole Communion of Saints.

33. Different Stages of Holiness
 In the Communion of Saints souls are in different
stage of Holiness:
1) What do me call the stage of the souls who are
here on earth, striving to stay close to Jesus?
 The Church Militant
2) What do we call the souls in Purgatory?
 The Church Suffering
3) What do we called the souls who love God in
Heaven?
 The Saints in Heaven are called The Church Triumphant

34. We are All United to Christ
 It seems that one of the most important things,
we have learned is
a) that in the Communion of Saints, we are never
alone,
b) we are united to Jesus and to all the holy people,
who are also united to Him
c) In fact the Communion of Saints, we all are
united, (by the Power and works of the Holy Spirit.)
 Let’s pray for each other… God Bless you!